Beardie

Having noticed that Pistonheads are having a Mega and EuroHoon and always considered hoon to be a Scots slang term, I thought I'd do a bit of digging.

To me a hoon has always referred to acting slightly un-PC in a car. Imagine my surprise when the only reference to my definition seems to come from the Antipodes.

hoon
noun
1. a fast, reckless driver of a car, boat, etc.
2. a speedy drive; a fang: going out for a hoon tonight.
3. a hooligan; a lout.
4. a man who lives off the earnings of prostitution; a pimp; a bludger.
5. a despicable person. --verb
6. to drive fast and recklessly; to fang. [dating back to the 1930s in sense 4; origin unknown]

hoon
(Australian English, slang) Lout.
Particularly in Western Australia, when describing bad or fast driving a person is commonly called a "hoon". In fact, the state government has brought in what are known as 'Anti-Hoon' laws to cut down on young males causing auto accidents by excessive speed and street racing.


hoon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
A Hoon is an Australian colloquial term given to an individual whom typically drive fast and dangerously. The term is so widespread that in the Western Australia state government has brought in what are known as 'Anti-Hoon' laws to cut down on young males causing auto accidents by excessive speed and street racing.

So is it really an Aussie term? I mean surely they can't have invented words of their own? Surely it must be derived from some UK term.

Badger

Contraction of "hooligan" innit, so presumably an accented origin such as Scots or Irish.

Sundance

Must be based on British prison slang of the time

*runs and hides*


Ash

GTFCTIM

I think I 1st heard it from Alf Stewart on Home and Away

neil955

dunno, but for the last 6 years, we do twice annual Euro Hoons

2silver

I heard it used a lot when I was in NZ

Paper Lawyer

I thught he just shouted "you crazy Galah!"

GTFCTIM

You Flaming Galah

mikey k

IIRC last time I looked in my dictionary it said

"driving a Honda S2000 like you stole it"